The Lying Hufflepuff
by wishican97
Summary: Cassidy Hallaway is a sixth year student at Hogwarts, best friends with the much-loved weasley twins, and hiding a family secret. It doesn't help that Harry, Ron, and Hermione are digging deeper into her past, trying to uncover what she has hidden for so long. Will someone else's mistake steal away Cassidy's chances with her best friend, or will she overcome her family's baggage?


**This doesn't follow the story line of the books, but it doesn include the characters. I don't own HP or any of the characters from the series...**

**Please comment or whatever. It might be fun. I respond to some comments (not that im overwhelmed by the number of them, sometimes I'm just lazy).**

**Enjoy!**

Sixteen year old Cassidy Hallaway stood in the doorway of the Weasley home, waiting nervously next to her mother.

"Do I have to go in?" The young blonde asked, running her narrow fingers through her pixie cut hair for the thousandth time. A nervous twitch she had inherited from her father.

"Oh, good lord, Cass. You're going in. You need to start talking to people. Your father let you hole up in his 'flat' for so long, you've forgotten that other people exist." Her mother, Hannah, spat out, her American accent think.

"Dad didn't-" Cassidy began to protest, but at that moment, one of the flame-haired occupants of the house flung open the door.

"MUM! People are here!" Ron shouted over his shoulder. He turned to face the two women in front of him, honestly unsure of what to do. His mother had explained the situation to him well enough.

The older of the two woman must have been the muggle his mother had told him about/

"Hi, I'm Ron. Come on in. My mum's in the kitchen. She must really like you guys, she's been cooking all day." he said after a brief moment of awkward silence.

The two stepped through the door, pulling off winter coats and mittens, which Ron hung on hooks that his mother had made him clear.

"The kitchen is this way. C'mon." He said, sauntering off into another room, leaving a confused and flushed Cassidy standing silently with her mother.

"Move." Her mom hissed, shoving her after the boy.

Following along quietly, walking just slightly in front of her mother, Cassidy glanced around the haphazard home. It felt warmer and more welcoming than any of the houses her parents had lived in, even after her dad had moved her back to England with him after her parents divorce.

Someone tapped Cassidy's shoulder, pulling her out of her thoughts.

"Hello, I'm Harry." Said a green-eyed boy. He looked to be about the same age as Ron.

"Hi." Cassidy replied, "I'm Cassidy. This is my mom, Hannah."

Fourteen year old Harry looked up at the pretty brunette from his spot at the table, and then at her parent. There wasn't much resemblance. She must have look a lot like her father.

"Nice to meet you." Harry said as he turned back to whatever task Molly Weasley had set him on.

"Mum." Ron said, tapping the shoulder of the afore-mentioned red-head.

"Oh! Ron, don't startle me. I thought you were one of the twins!" Mrs. Weasley said, turning away from the stove and walking up to Cassidy, blatantly ignoring her mother.

"Oh, Cass, love! Look how you've grown. Last time I saw you, you were a skinny little sprite. Now look at you. Rosy cheeked and beautiful." Mrs. Weasley said, pulling her into a hug.

After pulling away, Molly turned to speak to Cassidy's mom.

"Hannah. That'll be all. I spoke with Charlie boy earlier, and he said he'd be bringing a change of clothes over for Cassidy this evening, so she can spend the night here. We'll be taking her to nine and three quarters with us when we go. Best to say your goodbye's now."

Hannah seemed shocked by the other woman's tone. Cassidy had to hide a snicker behind her hand.

"Bye mom!" Cassidy said, kissing her mother's cheek and all but shoving her to the door. Harry was more than surprised by the sudden change in personality he was seeing in the previously reserved girl.

After Hannah had put on her coat and huffed out the front door, Cassidy reappeared in the kitchen, hopping up onto the counter. She swung her legs, which dangled off the edge, back and forth.

"I'm glad she's gone. Thanks for having me, Molly. And for pretending not to know me, Ron. If my mom knew most of my friend were wizards, I think she's lose it." Cassidy said, her words spilling out so quickly Harry barely understood her.

"Oh, no problem, Cass. You know we love you." Mrs. Weasley said, patting 'Cass's' blue-jeans clad knee.

"Yeah, you're better than George and Fred, that's for sure." Ron said, joining Harry at the table.

"Um," Harry said, and Cassidy peered down at him with clear water blue eyes. "Are you a friend of theirs?"

Cass laughed, her shoulders shaking and her cheeks going a splotchy pink color.

"Yeah. Sorry about that. My dad is a wizard, but he forgot to tell my mom until I was four years old. They divorced when I was six. I've been bouncing back and forth between America, where my mom lives, and about a half an hour away from here, where my dad lives. I met these goofs my first year a Hogwarts. I've been their-" She looked at Mrs. Weasley. "Molly? What am I?"

"Our pet." Mrs. Weasley said without a pause.

"Right. Their pet. I'm in the year below Fred and George, I actually met them first. Fred accidentally sat on me on the train to Hogwarts. " Cassidy finished.

"And we haven't let go of her since." Fred said as he walked into the kitchen, trying to swipe a roll from the counter, only to have his hand smacked away by Mrs. Weasley. After faking a pout, he walked up and playfully kissed Cassidy's cheek.

George, never far behind his brother, soon appeared in the kitchen as well, snagging two rolls and passing one to Fred.

"How've you been, Badger?" George asked, hugging her tightly to his side.

"Good. I was better when I could breathe." Cass squeaked.

"Lord, Georgie, let her go." Fred teased. George loosened his grip on her.

Ron jabbed Harry with his elbow, saying, "Cass plays quidditch. She's the Hufflepuff Seaker."

"And a damn good one, too." Fred said, earning a smack to the back of his head from Mrs. Weasley. "Sorry." He muttered.

"I think this is the first year the Hufflepuff team might actually have a chance." Cassidy said.

"Oh, _sure_." Ron teased as Cassidy sat down next to him.

"I'm serious. It's no secret that we've sucked these last few years, but we have a new captain, and I think we can do it. I really do. We might even beat Gryffindor this year."

George pressed a hand to his heart, feigning hurt. "You think you're," He paused. "_Better_ than us?"

"I sure as hell do." Cass answered.

Fred looked peeved. "Why's she allowed to swear?!" He shouted.

"Because," Mrs. Weasley answered, "We like her more."

Fred shrugged, seeming satisfied with the answer.

"It was nice to meet you, Harry. I'm sure I'll be seeing more of you this year at School." Cassidy said as Fred and George pulled her out of the kitchen, insisting she see their newest invention.

Harry wasn't sure what it was, but something seemed off to couldn't put a finger on it, but something about Cassidy set him on edge.

Shrugging he turned back to help Ron finish up his job of potato cubing before dinner.

"What'd you think?" Ron asked.

"She's nice enough. Is she, you know, sane?"

Ron laughed. "Almost. Her dad is a nutter. She's nice thought. Like a sister. I think Fred likes her. I couldn't see him going with a Hufflepuff, though." Ron turned back to the task, but popped his head back up a second later.

"Why'd you ask?"

"I don't know. She's just a little, I don't know, unnerving?"

"Everyone feels that way about her at first. I asked mum the same question about her when she came over here with her dad. She's just had a bit of a tough go of it, you know? Her family is the only thing crazy about her. You saw her mum. Batty old fart."

"Yeah, yeah, I'm sure I'll get to know her."

"That's the spirit!" Ron said, dumping the bowl of potatoes they had been cubing into a large, simmering pot.

Harry was still unsure. He hadn't been so naturally willing to talk with someone while simultaneously wanting to avoid them so much.

Cassidy peered at Harry through the kitchen door. Something seemed eerie about him. Ron had said he was nice, but there was something about him that made her want to run away. Maybe it was his eyes. A brighter green than she had ever seen. Or maybe it was they way she was all but certain he could see strait through her.

Mrs. Weasley looked over her shoulder at three of her children, and two of their best friends. Cassidy was standing in the other room with Fred and George, cautiously opening a broken-looking jack in the box, giggling as a tendril of smoke poured out and wrapped around her, stopping when it had reached the crown of her head, forming a shifting tiara. Harry and Ron were just finishing up their job, having taken twice the time it should have.

She wasn't sure why, but Mrs. Weasley could practically taste the change that was about to happen. She had spoken with Cass's father about what to do if, in fact, Cassidy were to find out about herself, but she doubted she would have time to refine her plans. Harry seemed to be noticing Cassidy for more reason than one.

A loud laugh startled Mrs. Weasley from her daze. Fred had Cassidy pinned by the waist, tickling her relentlessly. They were both grinning. Maybe it wouldn't be catastrophic after all.


End file.
